


In Sickness and in Health (I'll Be By Your Side)

by taikas



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26593060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taikas/pseuds/taikas
Summary: Taichi wakes up not feeling the greatest, but at least everyone (and especially Omi) is there to let him know that they care.
Relationships: Fushimi Omi & Nanao Taichi, Fushimi Omi/Nanao Taichi, MANKAI Company & Nanao Taichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	In Sickness and in Health (I'll Be By Your Side)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I'm sick myself right now, so I wanted to write a sickfic for one of my favorite A3 characters. I love his relationship with Omi, both platonically and romantically (only after the timeskip though), but you are free to interpret their relationship in this fic either way (hence why I tagged both the platonic and romantic relationship). Sorry if I didn't include enough scenes of them, though. Enjoy.

_Hot._

_It was too hot._

_Did Omi turn on the heater or something? Why was it so hot?_

_Why was-_

"Wake up Taichi, breakfast is ready!"

Taichi opened his eyes blearily upon hearing Izumi's cheerful voice boom into the room, regretting it immediately when pain sliced through his foggy head. He almost wanted to close his eyes again, but he knew that going back to sleep wouldn't be an option anymore with how uncomfortably warm he felt. Begrudgingly, he summoned all his willpower to sit up in bed, proud that he only wobbled slightly. 

Izumi looked up at him in concern. "Taichi? Are you okay?"

"A-Ah! Sorry, director. I'm just a little sleepy still, that's all," Taichi did his best to smile reassuringly. 

Knowing Taichi was usually one of the early risers of the dorms, Izumi frowned, but let it be. "Alright then, come down to the kitchen when you're ready. Omi made pancakes!"

And with that, the director closed the door and Taichi sat there and listened as her footsteps grew further and further away.

When he couldn't hear Izumi anymore, he let out a groan and flopped back down on the bed, wincing as his aching head crashed back onto his pillow. He felt gross.

He knew he had to be sick. That was the only explanation for why he felt like he was sitting in a furnace, the thin sheen of sweat that clung to his skin causing his pajamas to feel disgustingly damp in more than one place. Every part of his body ached, his head felt like it was filled with cotton, and exhaustion was settled deep into his bones.

Nonetheless, he knew he had to get up sooner or later to prevent Izumi or the others from getting even more suspicious than they already had to have been at his strange absence. 

Even though Taichi's head was spinning, by some miracle, he managed to get dressed and make his way down to the kitchen without tipping over. After being greeted with a chorus of hellos from his fellow company members upon entering the room, he saw his roommate turn away from his spot at the stove and smile at him. "Taichi! You're finally up? I'd expect this more from Banri, but you usually don't sleep in."

At that, Taichi couldn't help but smile ever so slightly. "Yeah," he said. "Sorry, I guess I was just a little tired."

"Ah, I see," Omi turned dutifully back to the stove "I'll prepare your pancakes now then."

"Thanks, Omi," Taichi said as he plopped down in the seat next to Kazunari. The art student paused eating temporarily to push out a muffled "Mornin' Taicchan," but with the pancakes stuffed in his mouth it sounded more like "Mowin Taifn."

Taichi turned his head to smile and respond, "Mornin', Kazu."

As soon as Kazunari went back to chattering on to Misumi about something, Taichi sighed quietly and leaned over the table to rest his burning forehead on his arms. Allowing the dull buzz of conversation at the table to overtake him, he didn't even realize that his eyes had closed again until he felt a gentle hand settle on his back. 

Returning to his senses, Taichi peeled his heavy eyelids open and blushed slightly when he realized that the incessant chatter at the table had suddenly stopped and everyone was looking at him for some reason. 

"Taichi? Can you hear us again now?" A familiar voice behind him inquired. 

Taichi whipped his head around and nearly fell off his chair from the self inflicted vertigo, but Kazunari reached out and exclaimed "Woah, Taicchan! Be careful," gripping his arm to keep him steady. 

Once he had successfully righted himself, he looked up to see Omi with a concerned look on his face and holding a plate of pancakes in one hand, the other clearly being the one that rested on his back. 

Taichi squirmed uncomfortably at how silent the room had become, and laughed rather awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm still a bit sleepy...I must have dozed off again!"

"Are you sure that's all it is, Taichi?" Omi frowned. "You feel pretty warm."

Before Taichi could even react, the taller man had put the plate of pancakes down on the table to free his hands and push Taichi's bangs up, bringing one hand gently up to press against Taichi's burning forehead. Although he knew he was already running a fever, Taichi felt his face somehow heat up even more at the tender gesture.

"Just as I suspected," Omi said with a click of his tongue. "You're burning up."

"Yeah, Taicchan!" Kazunari piped up. "I can feel how warm you are even through your shirt!"

Somehow, Sakyo seemed to magically materialize next to Omi as well, feeling the back of the teenager's neck for himself. "Yeah. You definitely have a fever. That explains why you were so subdued this morning." 

At Sakyo's confirmation, several members of the company began to fuss over him. Taichi turned his head down shyly, trying to hide the deepening blush on his cheeks and the burn of some traitorous tears in eyes. He hadn't meant for everyone to find out that he was sick, and now he felt embarrassed for troubling everyone (as if his whole fiasco involving the Autumn Troupe's first play wasn't enough).

As though he could hear his roommate's thoughts, Omi spoke up. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Taichi. We all get sick sometimes."

"That's right!" Izumi agreed. She got up from her seat and walked over to kneel next to Taichi, rubbing his knee comfortingly. "You should try eating something, then get back to bed, okay?"

Taichi wasn't sure whether it was his fever was scrambling his emotions or not, but his face crumpled against his will. He felt so awful, not only because of his raging fever, but also from the heavy guilt of feeling like a burden once again. Feeling pathetic, he shut his eyes, but even that couldn't stop the tears that had been welling up from dripping down his cheeks. 

He heard a series of concerned cooing noises from all around him, though with his eyes shut so tightly he wasn't quite sure who exactly made them.Taichi only felt the invisible band that had steadily been tightening across his chest the entire time loosen when a warm hand came up to cradle his right cheek and wipe some stray tears away. 

At the tender touch, the sickly teen finally willed himself to open his eyes again, only to see Omi's face mere inches from his.

As if he was speaking to a frightened animal, the man then whispered ever so gently, "Don't cry, Taichi. You're okay."

That reassurance made Taichi's tears halt in their tracks, his glazed eyes now fixated on the upturn of Omi's lips. Somehow, his roommate always knew exactly what to say.

"O-Okay," Taichi hiccuped. He brought his sleeve up to his eyes, rubbing the rest of his tears away. "Sorry about that, everyone...I just-"

"Don't apologize, darling. You're alright," Azuma interrupted. 

"Yes, yes! You are fine Taichi!" Citron added.

More troupe members added their reassurances onto him, and Taichi felt warmth spreading throughout his body that wasn't even attributed to his fever.

"Thank you, guys..." The teenager mumbled in gratitude. "I don't think I have any appetite for breakfast, though."

"That's perfectly fine," Izumi said as she stood up again.

"When Banri finally gets his ass out of bed he'll probably eat what you couldn't anyway," Juza mentioned.

Taichi felt his lips quirk up slightly at Juza's words, happy that his fellow troupe member went out of his way to reassure him too, especially since Juza wasn't usually too good with words. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt that oh so familiar hand brush against his arm once more, and Taichi twisted in his seat to look at Omi, who was smiling down at him.

"Come on Taichi, let's get you to bed."

"A-Ah, no! It's okay Omi, I can get to our room by myself. You should stay here with the others and-"

"It's okay, Taichi. I'm not doing this because I need to. I'm doing this because I want to."

Taichi hoped the heat that suddenly flared in his cheeks was just from his fever. 

"I care about you, Taichi," Omi said gently, rubbing Taichi's back once more. "We all do."

The teenager couldn't help but smile at that, and he finally allowed himself to be pulled out of his seat and led out of the kitchen by his roommate. As Taichi and Omi took their leave, the other members of the company all told him to feel better soon, with Izumi insisting that if he could stomach it, she'd make him some curry later on, and Sakyo saying he'd come by with Sakoda after picking up some medicine for him from the store. 

Upon arrival back to their room, Omi helped Taichi back into his bunk bed. The teen immediately flopped down, suddenly realizing how exhausted he truly had been from just that short trip down to breakfast. 

"You should get some rest now, Taichi."

Taichi shifted his tired gaze onto Omi, who was still standing on the stepladder. "I'll try..." he mumbled.

"Good," Omi smiled. "We can't have the most energetic member of our troupe be down for too long, right?"

Taichi chuckled weakly at that as he felt his eyes get heavier. "True."

Just as his eyes were about to shut completely, he felt long, slender fingers begin to card through his hair. 

"Omi?" Taichi questioned, only opening his eyes just enough to see his older troupe member smiling fondly at him. 

"Ah, sorry, Taichi," Omi averted his eyes temporarily as his fingers retracted. "My mother used to always do that when I was sick to help me fall asleep, so I thought it would help you, too. I can stop if you want, though."

"No!" Omi startled at Taichi's surprisingly powerful outburst. The teenager quickly blushed when he realized how urgent he had sounded. "No... It's okay. It's relaxing. Sorry about my sweaty hair, though. It must be gross."

"Not at all," Omi chuckled. "You're fine." 

He felt Taichi's forehead again, frowning at the heat that radiated from it, but continuing to move his hand upward and back into the teenager's hair, where he began carding his fingers through it again. 

Taichi felt the exhaustion tugging at him, but he couldn't let his gratitude for Omi go unsaid.

"Thank you, Omi...not just for this, but also for everything you've done to help me since I joined the troupe with you. Sometimes I wonder why even after everything I've done, you, and the others..." Taichi took a deep breath. "You all still forgave me, put up with me for some reason. Even after all that."

"Taichi..." 

Omi's fingers slowed ever so slightly. "Taichi, whether it be in sickness or in health, I will always be by your side. The rest of Mankai, too. We all make mistakes...I would know that better than anyone, really. So don't be so hard on yourself. You've beyond redeemed yourself at this point. The autumn troupe wouldn't be the same without you here."

Taichi shifted his gaze back towards Omi, not needing to exchange any more words for Omi to see the unspoken "Thank you," in his eyes.

The teenager's eyelids grew heavy as he felt himself succumbing to his exhaustion once more, and with Omi's fingers gently brushing through his hair, Taichi finally allowed himself to be lulled to sleep.


End file.
